This invention relates to cosmetic hair treatment preparations containing an additive to improve the wet-combability of hair.
After washing with shampoos based on synthetic surface-active compounds, hair is often in a cosmetically unsatisfactory condition. It feels dull and is difficult to comb in its wet state. After drying, the washed hair tends to develop a static charge, which makes combing difficult and prevents the combed hair from lying in the required manner.
It is known that conditioning preparations may be applied to the hair after washing or shampooing. The conditioning preparations in question are generally gel-like, liquid or emulsion-like lotions containing cation-active interface active compounds. It is also known that certain substances may be added to standard shampoos to obtain a certain conditioning effect when the hair is washed. Substances such as these are, for example, water-soluble proteins, protein degradation products or polycationic polymers, for example cationic cellulose derivatives. The disadvantages of cation-active surface-active compounds include their poor compatibility with anionic tensides and their often unsatisfactory compatibility with the mucous membrane.
Polycationic polymers, when present, do not counteract static charging of the dry hair and, in many cases, actually increase the tendency of the hair to develop a static charge. On the other hand, the strong adsorption of these cationic polymers onto the keratin fibers, particularly in the event of repeated application, results in an accumulation of the polymers on the hair which thus becomes "heavy" and loses elasticity, lay and body.